Personal branding

Bloggers and (Personal) Brand-Building. eMarketer estimates nearly 28 million US Internet users write a blog in 2009, and those bloggers run the gamut from hobbyists and part-timers to self-employed and corporate bloggers.

According to a Technorati survey of bloggers worldwide, most are men, ages 18 to 44, affluent and well-educated. About one-quarter work for a traditional media outlet in addition to blogging, and most still don’t make any money from their self-publishing activities. But there are other ways to create value. Fully 70% of bloggers polled by Technorati said they talked about products or brands on their blog. The most common activity was to post about brands they loved—or hated—as well as to write reviews or post about experiences with stores or customer service. Nearly six in 10 of all the bloggers surveyed said they were better known in their industry because of their blog, and one-quarter had used their blog as a resume or sent it to potential employers.

Whether that term is used or not, leaders have an identifiable persona that is a reflection of what they do and how others perceive them. I call this the leadership brand. When it comes to cultivating a leadership brand, look no further than Oprah Winfrey, who recently announced that she would be ending her popular talk show in 2011. In a perceptive analysis, New York Times media columnist David Carr suggests that Winfrey’s brand and the key to her longevity is a combination of things she didn’t do as well as things that she did do. The lessons of Oprah’s brand are relevant to any leader.

Here are some lessons for cultivating your own positive leadership brand. Practice what you preach. Act on principle. Insist on integrity. Integrity is not reserved for big corporate dealings; it can focus on small things. Some who read this might be thinking, poppycock! And there’s one final point.
Dan Schawbel - Personal Branding Expert. Dossier : E-réputation. (c) www.darksidevoices.com Dossier spécial e-réputation sur Marketing-Professionnel.fr !